Diabetes in Pregnancy

By Medical Expert Team

Jun 14 , 2018 | 1 min read

Diabetes is a very common medical condition encountered in pregnancy. Sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, unhealthy eating habits are increasing the susceptibility of women to this complication in pregnancy.

A few points on what it means for you if you are diagnosed with diabetes in pregnancy for the very first time-

Type 2 Diabetes is the more common form associated with pregnancy
Regular follow up with your gynaecologist/ physician is essential in managing blood glucose levels and monitoring your health and your baby.
Stay physically active unless moving around is contraindicated due to associated problems in pregnancy. It helps beat the condition both physically and emotionally.
Dietary changes should be strictly followed.
Monitoring sugars is very important as you can have episodes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia during treatment which can affect your baby.

Hypoglycemia or low blood sugars can be triggered by

Skipping or delaying meals
Eating portions that are too small
Overexerting yourself physically

Typically hypoglycemia is treated by eating or drinking something containing sugar, such as orange juice.

Hyperglycemia or elevated blood sugars are due to

Improper balance in your food consumption
Problems with the amount of insulin/ oral medications you are taking
Stress
Sickness
Lack of physical movement

Typically hyperglycemia is treated by adjusting your insulin/ oral medication dosages.

Risks associated with the baby are big babies which may necessitate need for instrumental delivery, prolonged labor or caesarean, hypoglycemia in the newborn, risk of jaundice and feeding difficulties.
Be sure not to forget taking care of your sugar levels and maintaining dietary and lifestyle changes post delivery as well.

Taking care of your body both during pregnancy and postpartum is important to managing glucose levels and remaining healthy in the long run.